I grew up in the Piedmont Pines area and have spent countless hours in Montclair hanging out with friends, getting a bite to eat, or just doing the errands. Over the years, I’ve seen the township morph from what was once a relatively quiet local treasure into a bustling hot spot for a cup of coffee, novelties and groceries.

Along with this change has come an increase in traffic — both pedestrian and automotive, leading to the mess it is today during peak hours. I believe everyone by now has encountered the double-parked idiots, the casual stop for a hello while crossing the street and general chaos at the four-way stops. After spending years dealing with this, I took the first opportunity to get away from all traffic-related problems by leaving and studying at UC Berkeley

I am now a fourth-year student at Cal and currently taking a class in city planning. The course has opened my eyes to the vast problems facing the development and growth of cities, and has given me insight to the origins and solutions of some of our everyday problems. I was recently having lunch with my mother when the conversation drifted to the subject of Montclair and its congestion. I was happy to apply some of what I have learned in the class to the real world and have since then thought back over the problem, done some reading, and now figure I would share some of the solutions I’ve found.

First, we must look at the people who frequent Montclair: The residents in the hills behind it, spreading north and south, use the shopping area as a place to stop for last-minute groceries on the way home, a convenient errand or a quick meal. The mountainous nature of the residential area makes walking to and from Montclair impractical, leading to cars as the dominant method of conveyance. Since so many people are driving to this relatively small area, it becomes overcrowded after school and work gets out. So how do you reduce the number of people relying on Montclair as a stop on the way home?

An answer would be a shift from the dependence on the automobile in the walkable areas near Montclair and reduce the area’s domination of the local market.

There has been a movement in city planning away from the strictly defined business and residential zones of suburbia toward a more integrated style of living. Neotraditionalists, such as Andres Duany, propose that these more traditional layouts rather than the mess of loops and cul-de-sacs promote foot traffic, leading to a tighter community and a more people-, rather than car-based culture.

By placing businesses near homes, people will be inclined to walk rather than drive, relieving some of the stress on the overcrowded streets. Even if people still drive to the store (as my parents have to when grocery shopping for my brother and I), they would still be traveling shorter distances and away from a singular hub. William Fulton quotes in his book “A Guide to California Planning” that “computer models have estimated that traditional neighborhood design can reduce total vehicle miles traveled measurably.” With the increasing numbers of self-employed and home businesses, the idea of a café or store just around the corner becomes all the more attractive as a means of congestion control.

In a realistic sense, the geography of the area around Montclair makes it impossible to have an easily accessible market street such as College Avenue. However, although integration of businesses and homes cannot be as complete, there can still be application of the general principle as a means to alleviate the overcrowding that we now have in Montclair proper. Something as simple as a good produce market and coffee shop in the Thornhill area could reduce that population’s reliance on Montclair for their day-to-day errands. Granted, there will still be need for the trips for the drug store, photos, and other shops, but the idea is that something as simple as another shop or two closer to homes just outside of Montclair will reduce the overall number of people reliant on the small district for their daily needs.

Michael Gourhan, a fourth-year student at the UC Berkeley, is enrolled in a city planning class. He can be reached at gourhan@berkeley.edu.